US, Virginia funding totaling $2.6 million aimed at forests

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia foresters are using $2.6 million in federal and state funds to expand the state’s forests. The state is matching $1.3 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1ujn6UK). Farmers and forest owners will also put up their own money to promote more forestland. They’ll do things like plant trees along streams to limit pollution, remove invasive species, and restore “diminished species” such as the longleaf pine. Federal and state officials announced the Virginia forestry project in Richmond.